Switch



J. K. ASDER SWITCH May 16, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 28, 1946INVENTOR. Jb/m K. AsdeR 4 5 ATTORN Y-S J. K. ASDER SWITCH 4 Sheets-Sheet2 Filed March 28, 1946 R 6 W .N W Am n T 0 M a w m fl 8 Z w May 16, 1950J. K. ASDER 2,507,949

SWITCH Filed March 2a, 1946 4 Shets-Sheet s INVENTOR. John A. AsoenATTORN Y 1950 J. K. ASDER 2,507,949

SWITCH Filed March 28, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. JO/ITI A. AsacRATTORNEY Patented May 16. 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims. 1

This invention relates to switches and refers, more particularly, to adelayed action switch suitable for light and power circuits.

Patent No. 2,215,788 to J. W. Hamilton and J. K. Asder describes aswitch of this natiue comprising a thermostat of bi-"netallic type, theheating element of which is arranged in a multiple circuit relationshipwith the load, so that the heating element can work concurrently withbut independently of the load.

An object of the present invention is to improve the construction andthe durability of a switch of this type.

Another object is the provision of a delayed action switch, which can beconveniently shut oif in the daytime without delay.

A further object is to utilize well known mercury buttons for theconstruction of delayed action switches for the purpose of increasingthe sturdiness and durability of the construction of such switches.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in thecourse of the following specification.

The above and other objects of the present invention may be realizedthrough the provision of a delayed action switch having a mercury buttonconnected to a manually operated knob and carrying a pin which may beswung along with the knob into the on position, the off position, or thedelayed action position. In the on and delayed action positions theswingazble pin cooperates with an arm causing it to maintain a givenposition, the electrical circuit for the heating coil of the bi-metallicelement being completed only in the delayed action position of theswitch.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detaileddescription when taken in connection with the accompanying drawingsshowing by way of example a preferred embodiment of the inventive idea.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows diagrammatically and in side elevation a switchconstructed in accordance with the principles of the present inventionin the on position with a portion of the front of the casing removed.

Figure 2 is a left end elevational view of the switch shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a right end elevational view of the switch shown in Figure1.

Figure 4 is similar to Figure 1 and shows the switch in the delayedaction position.

Figure 5 is similar to Figures 1 and 4 and shows the switch in its offposition.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing the electrical connections of the switchin its on position.

Figure 7 is similar to Figure 6 and shows the electrical connections ofthe switch in delayed action position.

Figure 8 is similar to Figures 6 and 7 and shows the electricalconnections of the switch in the off position.

The switch shown in the drawings may be conveniently affixed to a wallor carried upon a table or other supporting surface. This switch, inaddition to its usual on and ofi positions, has a delayed actionposition into which it may be placed at will by the user. In thisdelayed action position lights will remain illuminated for apredetermined time period to enable the user to leave the premises whilethe lights are still on, whereupon the lights are automaticallyextinguished. Obviously, the switch is capable of other uses.

An important feature of the illustrated switch is that the user canshift it directly from the on position to the off position, for instanceduring daylight, when delayed action is not required.

The switch is carried by a casing Iii, which may consist of Bakelite,porcelain or other suitable insulating material. For the sake ofsimplicity a portion of the front of the casing has been removed inFigures 1, 4, and 5.

The switch includes a manually operated knob H, having a narrowfinger-engaged portion l2 and a wider base portion I3. The portion i 2may be provided with an opening I d .for attaching a string or a chain.

The base portion [3 of the knob H is attached by rivets I5 and It to twofiber washers ll and I8 (Fig. 3).

A mercury button switch 20 is firmly attached to the washers ll and I8and is rotatable therewith and along with shaft stubs [9.

Two brass fingers 21 and 22 are mounted in the casing l0 and engage theshaft stubs l9 of the mercury button switch on opposite sides. Thesefingers or contacts are used to establish an electrical connectionthrough the mercury button switch 20 in the on and delayed actionpositions, the mercury button switch 20 being provided with a holethrough a glass partition lowered below the level of the mercury in theon and delayed action positions which establishes an electrical paththerethrough.

The contact 2| is fastened to the body I 0 by 3 a screw 23, and isprovided with a second screw 23A for attachment or" the wire t? (Fi 6).

The other contact 22 is provided with simiiar screws 25 and 25A forrespectively securing t e contact to the body it? and making theelectricai connection to wire A coil spring 2-5 has one end which isattached to the casing 55 while its other end. is attached to knob i i.

In the on position shown in Figure 1 the coil spring 25 is extended, sothat its tendency is to swing the knob ii to the right (looking in thedirect-ion of Figure l.) to the delayed action posi tio shown Figure iand thereafter to the off. position shown in Figure 5.

The l-znob i i is maintained in the on and delayed positions against theaction of the spring 25 by means or a pin 2?, which is disposed betweenfiber washers ii and it, coacting with the pivotally mounted arm andspring 3! also co-acting therewith.

shown in Figures 1 and c, the pin 2"! engages difiereut parts of theupper periphery of the arm 28 in the on delayed. positions of theswitch. The 28 is of i1 ular is pivotally mounted intermediate its endsby a suitable pin 2%, which passes through. the Bakelite casing E53.

The pin 25 carries a spring 3! having an arm 32, which presses againstthe bottom periphery of the arm 28 and has a tendency to turn itcounter-clockwise (looking in the direction of Figure 1). The arm 28 isprevented, however, from carrying out this rotation by means of the pin21 or a pin 33, which is adapted to engage an inclined edge 34 of thearm 28 and which may be inserted into any one of a number of holes 35,located close to the edge 34 in such a manner as not to interfere withthe operation of the arm 28.

As will be apparent more clearly hereinafter, the time of the delayedaction may be conveniently varied by moving the pin 33 from one holeinto another one.

In the on position shown in Figure l, the pin 21' engages the inclinededge 35 of the arm 28. On the other hand, in the delayed position shownin Figure l, the pin 21 is located within a recess 36 of the arm 28, therecess 35 being substantially shallow to permit the pin 2'! to bereadily moved in and out thereof and situated closer to the pin 29 thanthe edge 34.

In the OE position shown in Figure the pin 2'1 is entirely out ofcontact with the arm 28 which is still prevented from too great acounterclockwise movement from the spring 35 by the pin 33.

The washer i! also carries on the outside surface portion thereof aconducting spring or a resilient contact 31, which is preferably made ofbronze, turned outwardly and adapted to engage under tension the insidesurface portion of the casing It. The contact 3'! is connected by a wire39 to the terminal screw A. The wire is sumciently long, so that it willnot interfere with the movements of the rotating portions of the switch.

A contact screw 38 extends through the Bakelite casing it and is adaptedto form an electrical contact with the spring 3. in the delayed actionposition shown in Figure l.

The contact screw 38 is connected to one side of the heating coil orelement 49 (wire 35A, Fig. 6) which comprises a part of the delayedaction circuit. The remaining end of the element is connected to ametallic plate 6| (Fig. 3) provided with a screw 62 for securing thewire 38 and the said plate to the body In. A screw 23B, threaded intothe plate 6 I, is used to connect the delay circuit to the power source.The heating element 45 is preferably wound over a layer of asbestoswhich covers the bimetallic element 42.

One end of the bimetallic element 42 is attached by screws 43 to thecasing (0, the other end having a sharp bend 44 positioned close to theend 45 of the pivotally mounted arm 28. When the bimetallic element 42is bent due to heating, it will engage the end 45 of the arm 28 andswing the arm clockwise (looking in the direction of Figure 4), therebywithdrawing the pin 21 from the substantially shallow recess andenabling the spring 26 to swing the knob H and the parts connectedtherewith to the off positionshown in Figure 5.

The load circuit may consist of a lamp 46 as shown in Figures 6, 7, and8 connected to a suitable source of electric current such as the battery46A, wires 41 and 48 being connected to the previously describedterminals 23A and 25A on the casing in.

In the off position, shown in Figure 5, and indicated diagrammaticallyin Figure 8, the load circuit contact and the heating circuit are bothopen since the mercury button switch 26 is so mounted that in the offposition the hole through theglass partition of the switch above thelevel of the contained mercury thereby inter-- rupting the electricalpath therethrough. The heating circuit is also open for the same reasonand the additional reason that the contact 37 and the co-acting contactscrew 28 are disengaged in the off position.

Light is switched on by the user by swinging the knob I I from the offposition, shown in Fig ures 5 and 8, to the on position shown in Figure1 and indicated diagrammatically in Figure 6. In the on position, thehole through the glass partition of the mercury button switch 25 islowered below the level of the contained mercury thereby providing anelectrical path therethrough, thence through the brass fingers 2| and 22to the terminals 23a and 25a. The electrical circuit, as shown in Figure6, is as follows: From the battery 45a, the current passes through theconductor 41 to the terminal 23a, thence through the brass finger 2 l,the mercury button switch 28, as previously shown, out through the brassfinger 22 to the terminal 25a, thence through the conductor 48 to oneside of the light load 48, and thence out the opposite side of the lightload 46 to the opposite terminal of the battery 46a. During the onposition, the pin 2? is in contact with the edge 34 of the arm 28 andremains in that position, until manually moved, by the action of thespring 35 on the pivotally mounted arm 28. To reverse the movement, thatis to bring the switch 26 back to the off position shown in Figure 5,the knob l l is merely pushed clockwise which forces the pivotallymounted arm 28 downwardly by the pin 2'! against the action of thespring 3| until the pin 21 is shown in the position of Figure 5.

On the other hand, the user may decide to move the switch to the delayedaction position. As shown in Figures 4 and 7, the knob I E is thenlocated in an intermediate position, and is held in that position by theengagement of the pin 27 with the substantially shallow recessed portion36 of the arm 28.

In this delayed action position, the contact 31 is in electricalengagement with the contact screw 38, and the hole through the glasspartition of the mercury button switch 26 is lowered below the level ofthe contained mercury thereby providing an electrical path therethrough,thence through the brass fingers 2| and 22 to the terminals 23a and 25a.The electrical circuits, as shown in Figure 7, are as follows: For thelight load 46, the current passes from the battery 46a through theconductor 41 to the terminal 23a, thence through the brass finger 2|,the mercury button switch 20, as previously shown, out through the brassfinger 22 to the terminal 25a, thence through the conductor 48 to oneside of the light load 46, and thence out the opposite side of the lightload 46 to the opposite terminal of the battery 46a. For the heatingcoil or element 40, the current passes from the battery 46a through theconductor 41 to the terminal 23a, thence through the brass finger 2!,the mercury button switch 2K2, as previously shown, out through thebrass finger 22 to the conductor 39, thence to the contact 31 andthrough the co-acting contact screw 38 to the conductor 39a, thencearound the bimetallic strip 42 to the conductor and terminal 23b tocomplete the circuit to the battery 46a.

The switch will remain in this position until the bimetallic spring 42is bent as a result of the heating; then the end 44 of the bimetallicelement will engage the outer end 45 of the arm 28 and will swing thearm clockwise (looking in the direction of Figure 4), therebywithdrawing the shallow recessed portion 36 of the arm 28 fromengagement with the pin 21. As soon as the arm 28 is withdrawn thespring 26 will pull the knob I I to the off position shown in the Figure5. It is apparent that the position of the end 45 of the arm 28 inrelation to the end 44 of the bimetal 42 may be conveniently varied byplacing the pin 33 in different holes 35 so positioned as not tointerfere with the operation of the arm 28 but providing a convenientmeans for varying the time interval of the delayed action.

It is apparent that the specific illustration shown above has been givenby way of illustration and not by Way of limitation, and that thestructure above described is subject to wide variation and modificationwithout departing from the scope or intent of the invention. Forexample, the mercury button switch may be conveniently replaced by amercury tube. All of such and other variations and modifications are tobe included within the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In an electrical switch, a, pivoted operating member swingable to on,delayed action and oii positions, contacts engagin said member, meanscarried by said operating member and establishing an electricalconnection between said contacts in the on and delayed action positionsof said operating member, said contacts being electrically disconnectedin the o position of said operating member, a pivoted arm adjacent saidoperating member, a locking member carried by said operating member andmovable therewith, said arm having abutments located in the path ofmovement of said locking member to engage said locking member in the onand delayed action positions of said operating member and to hold saidoperating member in such positions, and being devoid of contact withsaid locking member in the off position of said operating member, athermostatic element movable when heated from an inoperative position toa position wherein it swings said arm about its pivot and disconnects itfrom engagement with said locking member, means connected with saidoperating member and moving it to its off position when said lockingmember is not engaged by said arm, and heating means associated withsaid thermostatic element and adapted to heat the same.

2. In an electrical switch, a pivoted operating member swingable to on,delayed action and off positions, contacts engaging said member, meanscarried by said operating member and establishing an electricalconnection between said contacts in the on and delayed action positionsof said operating member, said contacts being electrically disconnectedin the off position of said operating member, a pivoted arm adjacentsaid operating member, a lockin member carried by said operating memberand movable therewith, said arm having abutments located in the path ofmovement of said locking member to engage said locking member in the onand delayed action positions of said operating member and to hold saidoperating member in such positions and being devoid of contact with saidlocking member in the off position of said operating member, a springengaging said arm, a thermostatic element movable when heated from aninoperative position to a position wherein it swings said arm about itspivot against the action of said spring and disconnects it fromengagement with said locking member, a spring connected with saidoperating member and moving it to its ofi position when said lockingmember is not engaged by said arm, heating means associated with saidthermostatic element, a contact connected with said heating means,another contact carried by said operating member and engaging thelast-mentioned contact in the delayed action position of the operatingmember, and conductin means connecting the first-mentioned contacts inparallel with said other contacts, whereby said thermostatic element isheated by said heating means when said operating member is in itsdelayed action position.

3. In an electrical switch, a pivoted operating member swingable to on,delayed action and off positions, contacts engaging said member, amercury switch carried by said operating member and movable therewith toestablish an electrical connection between said contacts in the on anddelayed action positions of said operating member and interrupting saidconnection in the ofi position of said operating member, a pivoted armadjacent said operating member, a locking member carried by saidoperating member and movable therewith, said arm having abutmentslocated in the path of movement of said locking member to engage saidlocking member in the on and delayed action positions of said operatingmember and to hold said operating member in such positions and beingdevoid of contact with said locking member in the off position of saidoperating member, a thermostatic element movable when heated from aninoperative position to a position wherein it swings said arm about itspivot and disconnects it from engagement with said locking member, meansconnected with said operating member and moving it to its oii positionwhen said locking member is not engaged by said arm, and heating meansassociated with said thermostatic elment and adapted to heat the same.

4. In an electrical switch, a pivoted operating member-.swingable to on,delayed action and.

off. positions, contacts engaging said .member, means carried by saidoperatingnmember and establishing an electrical connection between said,

contacts in the on and delayed action positions of said operatingmember, said contacts being electrically disconnected in the offposition of said operating member, a pivoted .arm adjacent saidoperating member, a locking member: carried by said operatingmemberandmov: able therewith,.said arm having abutments located in the-path:ofimovement'of said locking member to engage -said lock-ing. member inthe on and delayed action positions of said op-. erating member and tohold saidoperating mem-. berinsuch positions and=beingdevoidof: con-Htact with said locking member in the off posi-.v

tion of said operatingmember, a biemetallic ele-.

ment movable when heated from an inoperative position to a position:wherein it swings said arm about its pivot and disconnectsit from en:gagement with saidlocking.member,-means connected with said operatingmember and moving it to its ofi'position when said locking member is notengaged by saidsarm, heatingmeans associated with said bimetallicelement, acontact connected with said heating. means,- am other contactcarried by said operating member and engagin the last-mentioned contactin the.

swingable to on, delayedaction and off" positions, contacts engagingsaid member, a mercury switch carried by said operating member andmovable therewith. to establish. an. electrical connection. between saidcontacts in the on." and delayedaction positions of said operating.member and interrupting said connection in the ofi position of saidoperating member, an arm pivoted in said casing below said operatingmember, a locking member carried-by said operating member and movabletherewith, said arm having abutments located in the path of movement ofsaid locking member to engage said locking member in the on and delayedaction positions of said operatingmember and to hold said op eratingmember-in said positions andbeing devoid of contact with said lockingmember in the oil position of said operating member, a spring engagingsaid arm, a thermostatic-element movable when heated from an inoperativeposition to a position wherein it swings said arm about itspivot againstthe action of said spring and disconnects it from engagement with saidlocking member a-spring connected with said operating member and movingit to its off position when said locking member is not engaged by saidarm, and heating means associated with said thermostatic element andadapted to heat the same.

JOHN K. ASDER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the .le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,583,939 Smith May 11, 19261,615,163 Brown Jan. 18, 1927 2,086,709 Fike et al. July 13, 1937

